Noelene's story

By Karen Michelmore

There's been a dramatic rise in the number of Aboriginal women in prison in NSW in the past decade, but it's an issue rarely discussed. This is the story of woman's journey through the justice system and her hopes for the future.

For her, it was a way of dealing with the fact her mother had handed her and her five brothers into the care of relatives because she was no longer able to look after them herself.

"I felt really heartbroken and lost and empty inside and I really didn't understand what was going on and why she left me," Noelene, now 23, explains.

"We were all placed in care in 2000 after she admitted to herself that she could no longer look after us because of her alcohol."

Soon after, Noelene started breaking into houses to fund her habit.

She says she felt empty, and felt no remorse.

It wasn't until she had a child of her own, and was offered and open to rehabilitation services during a stint in prison, that she got her life on track.

She wants to help other young Indigenous women get the help and support they need to work towards a better life.

Noelene says her story is similar to many Indigenous women in prison.

Aboriginal women are significantly over-represented in Australian prisons.

About 30 per cent women in NSW prisons are Aboriginal, while in the wider community they represent just two per cent of the population.

Many have been in prison before, or will return after they leave.

It's a group that has high numbers of dependant children, high rates of alcohol and drug issues and has experienced high levels of past domestic and sexual violence, and homelessness.

But it's an issue rarely talked about.

The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody recommended two decades ago that prison be the last resort for offenders.

Lawyer Thea Deakin-Greenwood, of the Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Centre in Sydney, has called for the greater use of alternatives to jail, and greater support services for the women, many of whom have never received counselling.

"Home detention is not explored enough as an option," Ms Deakin-Greenwood says.

"I would advocate for prison not to be the first option - it should always be an option of last resort."